Ford Prefect
The Ford Prefect is a line of British cars produced by the UK section of the Ford Motor Company, and a more upmarket version of its direct siblings the Ford Popular and Ford Anglia. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 1941; returning to the market in 1945, it was offered till 1961. The car progressed in 1953 from its original perpendicular or 'sit-up-and-beg' style to a more modern three-box structure. Like its siblings, the car became a popular basis for a hot rod especially in Britain where both its lightweight structure and its four cylinder engines appealed to builders. E93A 1938–49 The Ford Prefect was introduced in October 1938 and built by the Ford plant in Dagenham, Essex. The original Ford Prefect was a slight reworking of the previous year's 7Y, the first Ford car designed outside of Detroit, Michigan. It was designed specifically for the British market. It had a 1200 cc side valve engine with thermocirculation radiator (no pump) and the ability to be started by a crank handle should the battery not have sufficient power to turn the starter motor running from the 6 Volt charging system. The windscreen wipers were powered by the vacuum ported from the engine intake manifold — as the car laboured uphill the wipers would slow to a standstill due to the intake manifold vacuum dropping to near nil, only to start working again as the top was reached and the intake vacuum increased. The windscreen opened forward pivoting on hinges on the top edge; two flaps either side of the scuttle also let air into the car. The most common body styles were two and four door saloons, but pre war a few tourers and coupés were made. Ford Australia also produced 2-door coupé utility and 2-door roadster utility variants. Post war, only four door saloons were available on the home market but two door models were made for export. 41,486 were made up to 1941 and a further 158,007 between 1945 and 1948. E03A (Australia: 1939–45) The E03A replaced the E93A in Australian production in 1939. The E03A saloon differed from the English E93A saloon in having an all-steel roof and stainless steel waistline trim. A53A (Australia: 1946-48) The A53A replaced the E03A in Australian production in 1946 with 4-door saloon, coupé utility and 5cwt delivery van versions produced. The A53A saloon differed from the E03A saloon in having an extended boot. From October 1947 the grille slates were chrome-plated. E493A 1949–53 Post war, the Prefect design changed little until replaced in 1952. The headlamps moved into the wings and trafficators were fitted (internally lit semaphores springing out from the door pillars to signal left and right turns), though due to space restrictions these were left out on the Australian-built Ute. Only four door saloons were available on the home market, the two door sector being left to the Anglia but some were made for export. The brakes remained mechanically operated using the Girling rod system with 10 in (250 mm) drums and the chassis still had transverse leaf springs front and rear. A Prefect tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1948 had a top speed of 61 mph (98 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 22.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 33.2 miles per imperial gallon (8.51 L/100 km; 27.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car which had the optional leather upholstery cost £412 including taxes. In standard form, they commented that it was the cheapest 4-door car on the British market. 192,229 were made. Gallery DSC07354.JPG|Ford Prefect E493A DSC00109.JPG|Ford Prefect E493A DSC00277.JPG|Ford Prefect E493A DSC02271.JPG|Ford Prefect E493A IMG_20181118_163647.jpg|Trying to establish year. Ford Prefect spotted in South Africa A493A (Australia: 1949-1953) The A493A was an Australian produced variant of the English E493A which was offered in 4-door saloon and coupe utility variants. The A493A saloon differs from the E493A saloon in having a solid roof, an extended boot and a swage line on the front doors. 100E 1953–59 In 1953 a much redesigned Ford Prefect was introduced alongside the similar Ford Anglia and remained in production until 1959. The old separate chassis had gone, replaced by integral construction, and coil independent front suspension supplanted the transverse leaf spring. Girling hydraulic brakes were fitted, initially 7 in drums but quickly increased to 8 in (200 mm) A new side valve engine of 1172 cc engine was fitted having the same bore, stroke and layout of the previous engine, but in all other respects completely different. Externally, it can be distinguished from the Anglia by having vertical bars on the radiator grille and four doors. Inside there were separate front seats trimmed in PVC with leather as an option and two circular instruments in front of the driver one containing the speedometer and the other a fuel and water temperature gauges. De Luxe models included glove box locks.The gear change was floor mounted. The heater was an optional extra. From 1955, the estate car version (the Squire) was introduced, mechanically identical to the estate car version of the Anglia 100E (the Escort) but with wooden strakes. The Motor magazine tested a de-luxe 100E in 1957 and recorded a top speed of 71 mph (114 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 32.2 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 33.1 miles per gallon (imperial) was recorded. On the home market it cost £658 including taxes of £220. 100,554 were made. Gallery DSC07612.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E Estate DSC07485.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E DSC07486.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E DSC09424.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E DSC00010.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E DSC00019.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E DSC00070.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E Nationals 2012 020.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E Estate DSC00194.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E Estate IMG 0064.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E 107E 1959–61 This was a reworked 100E body with the engine and four speed gearbox from the Anglia 105E, produced until replaced by the Ford Classic. 38,154 were made, most of them in a two-tone colour scheme. Drum brakes of 8 in (200 mm) diameter were fitted, hydraulically operated, and the suspension was independent at the front using MacPherson struts. The rear driven axle used semi elliptic leaf springs. The steering mechanism used a worm and peg system. On test, The Motor magazine recorded a top speed of 73 mph (117 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 27.2 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 36 miles per gallon (imperial) was recorded. On the home market, it cost £621, including taxes of £183. Optional extras included a heater, windscreen washers, radio and leather upholstery to replace the standard PVC. Gallery DSC00108.JPG|Ford Prefect 107E DSC02255.JPG|Ford Prefect 107E Evolution of the Ford Prefect DSC07354.JPG|Ford Prefect E493A DSC00019.JPG|Ford Prefect 100E DSC00108.JPG|Ford Prefect 107E Category:Ford Category:Pre-war Category:Post-war Category:Ford of Britain Category:Ford of Europe Category:Ford of Australia